Personal injury claim for holidaymaker

Published: 04/08/2011

A holidaymaker from Basingstoke has made a personal injury claim after slipping on steps at a Cornish caravan park.

Mrs Manner is a wheelchair user and, when booking her holiday, was told the booked chalet was wheelchair accessible. However, upon arrival, the information turned out to be false with the only access to the chalet up five steep steps.

In an attempt to enter the property, Mrs Manner’s crutch slipped in the rain, causing her to fall to the ground and badly injure her back and spine. She has also lost sensation and movement in her arms and legs.

Having an accident is never a pleasant experience but when you have an accident on holiday, either abroad or even closer to home, the ordeal can be a lot more distressing. Not only can having an accident on holiday disrupt and ruin this special time, it is also a very confusing and stressful experience, especially if, in Mrs Manners case, it has left you with long term injuries.

Whilst Mrs Manner was a wheelchair user before her accident, she was not completely reliant on it; she could walk short distances and did not use it at home. However, since the accident, she is now fully dependant on both her wheelchair and the help of others.

She is now unable to carry out simple everyday living tasks including holding her grandchildren.

Mrs Manners has accused the holiday park of negligence, saying it “failed to provide a property with suitable access for a wheelchair user, wrongly claimed the property was suitable for a wheelchair user, and failed to provide safe steps, handrails, and anti-slip surfacing.”¹

John Fowler Holidays, who run the camp, have admitted liability.

Source:
¹Basingstoke Gazette (July 2011)

Content correct at time of publication